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Design

GM Creates Global Product Integrity Team in Wake of Ignition-Switch Recall

In the wake of its ignition switch recall, General Motors CEO Mary Barra has announced creation of a Global Product Integrity organization. Housed within the Global...

Product Briefs

Aerospace

High-Strength Steels

SSAB offers Hardox wear plates in thicknesses from 0.7-mm (0.027-in) 22-gauge to 6.25-in (160-mm) combined with updated dimensions and the ability to double as structural steel. In testing, a 474-lb (215-kg) torpedo was dropped from 9.2 ft (2.8 m), with a resultant weight savings of 59% using Hardox 450 5-mm (0.2-in) vs. S355...

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Manufacturing & Prototyping

Nylon Shapes and Custom Parts

TECAST cast nylon stock shapes and custom parts from Ensinger offer a combination of physical and wear properties, along with inherently lighter weight, to provide users with a cost-effective alternative to metal...

Product Briefs

Materials

Acrylic Polyurethane Coating

Sixteen AIC Metal Direct factory package colors have been added to ACME Quality Paints’ AIC product line for industrial, machinery, and equipment applications. AIC Metal Direct is a fast-drying, direct-to-metal,...

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Software

Design Control

The latest release of the MapleSim toolbox from Maplesoft expands control design capabilities and supports parameterized controllers for improved flexibility. The MapleSim system modeling and simulation tool’s control design...

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Software

Electric Motor Testing

dSPACE offers a flexible solution for hardware-in-the-loop testing of electric motors, combining Scalexio architecture with a programmable FPGA board DS2655 and a scalable electronic load. Users can test electric motor...

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Test & Measurement

Data Acquisition

The M300 data acquisition and datalogging system from Rigol Technologies integrates the company’s 6.5-digit multimeter technology into a versatile system mainframe with modules enabling applications from multichannel...

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Electronics & Computers

Distribution Module

Murphy’s PowerCore Intelligent Xpansion power distribution module (PDM) expands CAN bus control networks by replacing traditional relay and fuse boxes with solid-state switches that drive lights, cooling fans, wiper motors, and directional dc motors. Twelve PDM outputs can switch or control 15-A loads and feature built-in...

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Electronics & Computers

High-Power Contacts

Deutsch 5015 high-power contacts from TE Connectivity deliver improved performance and reliability, and comply with the MIL-DTL-5015 specification for military and aerospace markets. Each contact size is designed to provide...

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Manufacturing & Prototyping

Piezo Positioner

PI's P-763 XY nanopositioning stage is an affordable addition to the company’s range of piezo stage positioners. The compact P-763 flexure-guided stage has a footprint of less than 3 x 3 in (76 x 76 mm) and a large travel...

News

Test & Measurement

Dual-Purpose Engine Stand

Champion GSE has developed a dual-purpose stand for both the -1B and -2B GEnx engine platforms from GE. Features of the Stronghold stand were designed to increase personnel safety, usability, and function. These...

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Aerospace

Thin-Film Chip Resistors

Vishay Intertechnology’s PTN series precision, surface-mount, thin-film chip resistors in the 2512 case size offer a power rating to 2 W. The devices combine moisture-resistant tantalum nitride film with low temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) of ±25 ppm/°C and tolerances down to ±1%. The devices operate over...

Product Briefs

Materials

Plasma Cutting

Hypertherm introduces the portable Powermax30 XP plasma cutting system for high-power applications. The Powermax30 XP system is 50% more powerful than its predecessor, but maintains the original’s light weight and small...

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RF & Microwave Electronics

RFID Electronic Immobilizer

Strattec Security’s i-Guard is a radio-frequency identification (RFID) electronic immobilizer system developed for the construction, fleet, and rental equipment industries to prevent equipment theft and to keep...

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Connectivity

Mission Critical: Cybersecurity

The cell phone message from hackers demanded a $20 ransom to unlock the vehicle doors, or the vehicle owner could pay a lot more money to have the vehicle towed to a dealership where the doors would be...

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Electronics & Computers

Compact, Single-Package Automotive Ethernet-Based Solution

Freescale Semiconductor and Broadcom Corp. have created the industry’s first fully integrated, packaged microcontroller (MCU) and physical layer transceiver (PHY) solution for use in 360 degree camera systems. With its compact 8 x 8 mm (0.3 x 0.3 in) package, the Qorivva MPC5606E is...

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Automotive

Toyota Technical Center Names a Fifth Chief Engineer

Toyota Technical Center (TTC) recently named Monte Kaehr to the position of American Chief Engineer, with responsibility for the Camry. He is only the fifth person to attain the title of...

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Automotive

Heavy Brake Re-Gen Feel Dominates I3 Driving Experience

More noticeable about the BMW i3 driving experience than anything else is the heavy braking effect when lifting off the accelerator pedal, even when going downhill. The effect is...

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Automotive

Automotive Fuels Reference Book

Written for those who have an interest in or need to understand automotive fuels, SAE International offers the third edition of its best-selling Automotive Fuels Reference Book. This new edition has been...

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Motion Control

Job Market for Engineers Remains Hot

Automotive industry recruiters know the supply of engineers is thinner than the demand.

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Automotive

Argonne Helps Private Industry Develop Engines Faster and Cheaper

In a bid to expand use of its expertise to a wider audience, Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) developed the Virtual Engine Research Institute and Fuels Initiative. This...

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Automotive

Engineers Clamor for More Techniques to Make Vehicles Quieter

Smaller engines, lightweighting, and even connectivity are a few of the trends that dominate the drive to reduce fuel consumption and emissions. Those developments are making...

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Connectivity

The Complexity of Vehicle Connectivity

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Manufacturing & Prototyping

Reaching the Next Generation of Vehicle Consumers

With keen observational skills and straight talk, a street-smart 40-year-old entrepreneur makes connections with that elusive younger generation of car buyers known as Generation Y.

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RF & Microwave Electronics

Electronic Feature Additions Challenge Carmakers to Control Costs

As electronic feature content increases—from safety and performance systems to advanced telematics—carmakers face a continuing challenge to make all the connections while...

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Transportation

Notes of Caution from an Optimistic Futurist (Video)

The so-called BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China) are indeed properly pursued as automotive growth markets, “but maybe some of us a little overestimated the growth...

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Automotive

Fuel-Economy and Greenhouse-Gas Emissions Rules Debated

The passenger vehicle and commercial vehicle industries are working to meet government regulations for emissions and fuel economy while ironing out potential unintended issues.

News

Propulsion

Fuel Economy and More Sway Vehicle Buyers

A change in fuel requirements could help automakers achieve another efficiency gain.

News

Design

Major Security Challenges Face Makers and Owners of Connected Cars

As the car becomes more connected, it faces security vulnerabilities, and although recognizing them is a start, the industry must be working on preventative solutions that...